14 LGUs Participate Training of Trainers on Disaster Preparedness

Fourteen local government units (LGUs) of the Province of Cebu came as the first batch in the Training of Trainers (ToT) on disaster preparedness that was conducted recently by the Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR) in Cebu City under the ‘Noah’s Ark Project’.

The Noah’s Ark Project is a community-based initiative of the CNDR and it aims to beef up the capacity of high-risk barangays and sitios to deal with disasters particularly floods, to reduce their vulnerabilities.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III welcomed the implementation of this initiative in Cebu, the first time being done on a province-wide scale.

“This will address our problem on the absence of a clear-cut system within our ranks that can harmonize our actions in preparing for and responding to calamities, both natural and man-made,” Davide added.

The LGUs that attended the training and pledged commitment to disaster preparedness were the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-lapu, Naga, Carcar, Danao and the towns of Minglanilla, Compostela, Sibonga, Barili, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan and San Fernando.

Also in attendance were representatives from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).

“The Noah’s Ark Project encourages a behavioral shift on community preparedness during disasters. Raising the level of consciousness and awareness of high-risk communities on the need to have a contingency plan and executing it well can very well spell the difference between life and death,” said Ramon Isberto, head of Public Affairs at Smart.

The program involved intensive training and workshops that run for at least six months after which, all participating LGUs should come up with their own Community Risk Assessment, review the organizational Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and come up with a local contingency plan.

It involves the institutionalization of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Early Warning System, Communication Protocol and Evacuation Procedures to help ensure zero casualties during disasters and emergency situations.

Photo above: Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III (2nd from left) and Vice Governor Agnes Magpale (3rd from left) at the launch of the Noah’s Ark Project in Cebu City (Image Credit: www.manilanewsonline.com)